June 2010 archive

A respected business contact of mine shared a quote with me today and it sparked me to write this post.

First a little bit of background: I was approached this morning by a friend who asked me to help her out with a motivational talk she has been asked to do to some prefects on the cusp of ‘growing up’ and leaving school. When we were discussing some of the things she could cover, it struck me that what she was going to say was just as relevant for me and my current business life as it will be for her audience.

Sometimes you just have to be in the right frame of mind to let in a lightbulb moment like that, and I guess today was the day!

We talked about how she should use the right elements of her own situation and experience to talk about thinking and planning for the future. Recommending that you take part in outside interests so that others (employers in the young people’s case) would look at you and find you interesting. I know of some cases where people like to see that you do competitive sports as it can show that you have drive.

And I couldn’t stress enough that she should talk about the importance of creating a plan, for at least the next 3 years, to give something to focus on and drive them forward. My friend currently has a 5 year plan and wondered what that would say about her! She’s going to share her tips on how she plans and give some practical examples to show that it really helps to keep you going in the right direction.

I also recommended that she tells them to get input from their friends and family – if you tell other people what you are doing, then they can often help you with ideas you hadn’t thought of. And for parents, it can relax them and show that their child is thinking responsibly!

It struck me that this was TOTALLY valid for the situation that most of us are in in our working lives, and creating a plan & sharing it can help to manage stakeholders (like partners, bosses, husbands etc). And how many of us lose focus because we simply haven’t planned properly?

It made me go online and ask my twitter, facebook & linkedin buddies how they keep themselves motivated. And among the answer’s was Gary’s quote which I love!

So if you are looking for motivation, the quote below could be something to print off and stick on your wall so that you see it every day!

And if its focus and motivation you are looking for in your business life, and you think that being involved in a planning workshop every quarter would be a good thing for you then have a look at my PREVISION marketing group page – I’m really getting excited and am sure that all the participants will get a great deal out of it.

Have a good day!

Alison

“If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you like to win, but you think you can’t,
It is almost certain you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost,
For out in the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow’s will.
It’s all in the state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You’ve got to think high to rise,
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But soon or late the man who wins,
Is the man who thinks he can.”